FOF #717 – A Stunning Woman

Calpernia Addams, the Peabody Prize winning writer, actress and activist, best known on the Feast of Fools for her single “Stunning” joins us today to talk about the genesis of that fabulous dance song.

“Stunning” came out one of the episodes from her brand new reality tv series “Transamerican Love Story” a revolutionary elimination dating show featuring Calpernia as a trans woman searching for romance from a small group of handsome men.

The version we play on the show was remixed by Robbie D. We had the pleasure of hanging with Robbie D. at Idapolooza music festival in Tennessee in 2001 and Marc got to paint his ass blue!

Calpernia’s reality show is like The Bachelorette but with a fabulous trannie as the prize. You get to see an inside look at the men who are attracted to transsexual women and what it will take to win her heart. We recommend buying the season pass on the iTunes Music store, that way you’ll get every episode as it’s released each week, much like this podcast!

Life hasn’t always been stunning for Calpernia.

Calpernia was thrust into the public spotlight in 1999 when her lover, Pvt. Barry Winchell was harassed and murdered by his fellow soldiers after rumors of their relationship circulated around the base.

A controversial New York Times article titled “An Inconvenient Woman” portrayed GLBT groups as trying to qualify their relationship as “homosexual” in order to draw attention to the problems with the U.S. Military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy banning lesbians, trans, gays and bi folks from serving their country.

Because of this intense life-changing event, Calpernia decided to become an activist for more positive media portrayals of transsexual women.

She participated in the production of “Soldier’s Girl” as an on set consultant to keep the story true to her experience. The film won several awards and featured Lee Pace from Pushing Daisies as Calpernia.

Join Kennidi Monroe, Marc Felion and me Fausto Fernós as we talk with Cali about her friendship with web-designer Andrea James, dealing with unpopular contestants and Calpernia’s list of stupid questions not to ask a Trannie. Of course, we asked her anyway, well not really.

Don’t miss the last part of the show where Calpernia teaches me how to force feminize my voice. I sound almost as stunning as she does!

This is the podcast that uses the voice you want to use- Feast of Fools.

Featured TV Show:Transamerican Love Story
Starring Calpernia Addams
Produced by World of WonderGet it on iTunes

Calpernia is the best. Does she ever sleep? Peabody winner, war vet, movie star, reality show star, YouTube star, and activist. Thank you guys for interviewing her. I knew of several things she has done and now thanks to this interview I have made all the connections. Truly Stunning!
I love her \”Questions Not To Ask\” video.

Wow, I loved the show today and I loved having Kennidi back on the show again. I loved Soldier\’s Girl when I first watched it and getting a look at the wonderfully strong woman made me think that much more of her. Thank you Calpernia for sharing with us and thank you all for being so great and getting her on the show. Just as a P.S. Unbox on Amazon also offers Transamerican Love Story too.

STUNNING! Thank y\’all sooo much for having me on, and I apologize to everyone for having to rush off to my party at the end. It was a FUN party though, and even though it was a gay party, there was a hot straight guy there who chatted me up and asked me out to dinner. I\’m off the market at the moment, though!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, I am so happy and upset that I was not there!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I just watched this weeks episode of Transamerican love story(I love my DVR)
and then just now I was able to catch up with my dose of FOF.
Stunning!
Have you all said it once this week?
Just make sure you use it correctly!
Love ya
-SAL-E

Decorated war vet, showgirl, pop star, activist… Calpernia is a beautiful and eloquent soul. I want to live in that Bizarro parallel dimension where Calpernia is President of the United States, and all is perfect in the world.

To go into specifics, I started listening to this show thinking Fausto and Marc would as Calpernia all those \”don\’t\” questions and Calpernia would be a total bitch (the only exposure I\’ve had to her is her stunning video). But she turned out to be an amazing girl, and I\’d just like to give her kudos for her keeping going on even through all her hardships. What a truly amazing woman she is.

A wonderful show! Thanks Calpernia and Kennidi for being on the show! You both are great.

This one was one of my favorite shows recently (well…more favorite than my others). It was interesting to see the woman behind the videos, music, movies and more. I never would have guessed that Calpernia had done so many different things in her life already.

Aww, thank y\’all! And twilighter, I\’m so glad you got to hear the real me, ha ha. The persona in the \”Stunning\” video *would* be a bitch, probably, but she\’s more of an amusingly deluded narcissist. I, on the other hand, am all too aware of my flaws, sigh! But I\’m still happy! =)

I was just looking on my Tivo season pass of Transmerican Love Story, and I don\’t see any new episodes in the next 2 weeks. How long are we going to have to wait for new episodes? I hope Mark goes soon.

Wow! That\’s about all I can say. Calpernia has been a personal hero of mine for a long time, and her story is so amazing. She\’s definitely one of the best guests you\’ve had, and I\’d love to hear another episode with her. I loved the interview, and interesting that when I got home the DVR had the episode of Transamerican Love Story where the female to male transsexual tells his story. As a gay guy I\’ve dated trans women before, and what was amazing is I learned our sexuality and gender identity really aren\’t all that concrete. One thing this \”gay fun show\” has done well in the last year or so is represent the \”T\” in our community with people like Buck Angel, Tracy, and Kennidi. Props to the FEAST OF FOOLS for being diverse enough to include legends like Calpernia. Even being a gay man, I\’d be on that show competing for a date in a heartbeat. Simply because she is stunning, and anyone would be lucky to land some time with her.

BrettC thank you so much for saying that. I think so many gay men would feel asshamed to say that a trans woman attracts them or what not. I think its great you have dated trans women before, I am just blessed that Marc and Fausto are embracing this world of trans women and men and allowing them to be on the show telling our own stories, may they be inspirational or funny. Calpernia already knows this and we have talked about it but she is an inspiration to myself. I think one day more powerful women will be trans, and she\’s starting that movement! Men like you Brett are showing all men that it doesnt matter what sexual idenity or preference you have you can still love them for them! It\’s brave of you to write that, and I know Callie will love it when she reads it! I always say I dont discrimnate towards the gays cuz any man wanting to date me has to be ready, and if he was gay then Id let it be! I enjoy my womanhood and embrace it! So thank you again, I felt inspired to write back!

Thanks for having Ms. Addams on the show guys. The interview revealed a very endearing and wonderful woman. Prior to hearing this interview I must admit I was intimidating by the public personae. I am such a huge fan and supporter of Calpernia now. Thank you!

I never understood why some gay men give men attitude for dating a really beautiful woman who happened to have the same genitals or used to. But in my life I have noticed the trans community really are the most comforting and affirming people to be around. I won\’t say I know what it it\’s like, but I will say I admire you and the guts it takes to be yourself in this world. I guess that\’s just about the best thing we can do.

I say just love who you want to love. Isn\’t that what our whole community is about?

Awesome, awesome show, and I love the song. It really is addictive. Calpernia, you were a great guest! You are so eloquent and intelligent it was such a pleasure listening to you. All the best of luck to you, although you shouldn\’t need it with all that talent!!

Really great interview with Calpernia — she\’s amazing. I can\’t even imagine the courage it must take to not only come out to yourself as being born the \”wrong gender,\” but then taking the next step(s) to do something about it. Our society is far from tolerant, let alone accepting. Calpernia is smart, eloquent, funny AND lovely. All of our trans brothers and sisters are pioneers. We need to do a better job of watching their backs. Thanks FOF for treating the topic and your guests like Tracy and Kennidi with dignity.

Oh I thought you guys had seen the video already! Ha ha, I made it sitting in front of my computer after a glass of single-malt Scotch. They’re going to put it on the Logo site, and maybe on the channel!

I\’ve been watching a lot of Transamerican Love Story lately, and I\’ve been getting my bf into it as well, and I\’ve decided that I think Calpernia would be a mad cool person to hang out with. So fun, and yet so modest and down-to-earth. If you get to Chicago at some point, drinks on me!

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About Marc Felion

Marc Felion is the co-host and producer of the Feast of Fun podcast. He lives in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago with his partner and co-host Fausto Fernós. He loves sci-fi, murder mysteries and pumping iron.

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